Odoriferous dental apparatus

ABSTRACT

An oral apparatus for making the mouth pleasantly tasteful and exhaled air aromatically pleasant. The apparatus is adapted to be provided in an artificial tooth or other dental appliance and includes an opening therein filled with either absorbent fibrous material saturated with an air-refreshant fluid or a removable insert for containing such fluid.

United States Patent l 3, 00,307 a U2] lmentor SamuelilenrySipos [56]ReferencegCited GWWCiW-MM- UNITED STATES PATENTS i NO 2 5: 19692.930.l28 3/1960 Berens i. i 32/35 m Patented S 1 3,153,855 l0/l964Hollander 32/8 3,354,884 ll/l967 Rudo 128/260 I Assignee Denture FreshPrimary Examiner Robert Peshock Arr0rney--Hauke, Gifford and PatalidisABSTRACT: An oral apparatus for making the mouth ODORIFEROUS DENTALAPPARATUS pleasantly tasteful and exhaled air aromatically pleasant. The

9 Claims, ll Drawing Figs.

[WI US. CL. 32/2 other dental appliance and includes an opening thereinfilled WI 1 Int. (L A616 13/00 with either absorbent fibrous materialsaturated with an air [50! Field ofSearch. it l28/260; refreshant fluidor a removable insert for containing such PATENTEBAUGZMHII 3500.807

sum 1 nr 2 INVENTOR SAMUEL HENRY SIPOS 74% z.- qwz'lqahdada AOPMYQPATENIEU AUB24 \sn 3 600 807 sum 2 UF 2 INVENTOR SAMUEL HENRY SIPOS 2/24;, 4%MJIIAJM J w-nays BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of theInvention This invention relates to an oral apparatus for making the airbreathed by a person aromatically pleasant when exhaled and, inparticular, to a false tooth having a chamber filled with fibrousmaterial saturated with fluids for producing pleasant aromas.

2. Description Of The Prior Art The unpleasantries of bad breath" areall too well known by both young and old. Gargling with mouthwash andthe brushing of one's teeth to produce more pleasant breathunfortunately produces a short-lived result. The carrying of spe cialsolutions and lozenges advertised to make one s breath sweet" foron-the-go use, often proves to be ineffective since frequently peopleneed to be reminded that they have need to use such aids. In addition,carrying such aids is often cumbersome. Over two-thirds of thepopulation of the United States of America use dental appliances of onesort or the other. Because such appliances are difficult to keep cleantheir users often have a problem of maintaining pleasant breath. Most ofthese devices are ideally adaptable for housing and releasing fluids forproducing pleasant breath on a sustained basis for an extraordinarylong-lasting effect.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION Accordingly, there is need for abreath-freshening apparatus for use by people wearing temporary orpermanent dental appliances. The present invention provides such anapparatus. The present apparatus is highly effective in reducingunpleasant odors emanating from the mouth and is incorporated as a partof a dental appliance, and is concealed from view when in use. Inparticular an example of an apparatus in accordance with the principlesof the present invention is an insert cup-shaped container having anaperture covered by a porous network such as a screen or the like toretain within the container a fibrous or filamentary material or thelike, highly saturated with a fluid having aromatic-producing results.The fluid, generally comprising a liquid, including clove, peppermint ora like pleasant tasting oil, either undergoes a process of vaporescenceto thereby produce a sweet-smelling vapor which mixes with the air inthe oral cavity or the fluid becomes mixed with the natural body fluidsproduced within the mouth to thereby produce sweet-smelling breath. Itwill be appreciated that the apparatus need not be a separate unit andthat structure in accordance with the invention can be integrallyincluded in a false tooth or any other dental appliance providingsufficient surface and depth.

DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS The description refers 1:0 the accompanyingdrawings in which like reference characters refer to like partsthroughout the several views, and in which:

FIG. I is a perspective view of a set of dentures illustrating anexample of an embodiment in accordance with the principles of thepresent invention;

FIG. 2 is a lateral view of the embodiment of the uppers of a set ofdentures shown in FIG. I;

FIG. 3 is a perspective cutaway view of the embodiment of FIG. Iexploded from an artificial tooth;

FIG. 4 is an exploded perspective view of the embodiment illustrated inFIG. 3;

FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view of the embodiment of FIG. I along line5-5 ofFlG. 2;

FIG. 6 is an exploded view of another example of an embodiment inaccordance with the principles of the present invention;

FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view of a tooth incorporating the exampleembodiment illustrated in FIG. 6',

FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional view of a tooth incorporating a modifiedform of the example embodiment illustrated in FIG.

FIG. 9 is a view of still another example of an embodiment in accordancewith the principles of the present invention;

FIG. 10 is a cross-sectional view of the embodiment of FIG. 9 along line10-10 thereof; and

FIG. 11 is a partial perspective view of the manner of applying aromaticfluid to the embodiment illustrated in FIG. 1.

DESCRIPTION OF THE EXAMPLE EMBODIMENTS Now referring to the drawings,and in particular to FIG. 1, there is illustrated a full set of denturesgenerally shown as uppers 10 and lowers 12. In the uppers 10, inaddition to other artificial teeth, there is an upper right second molarl4 housing an odoriferous dental insert 16, an example embodiment of thedisclosed invention. The insert 16 extends from the buccal surface ofthe molar l4 inwardly to a predetermined depth. FIG. 2 best shows thebuccal surface with the insert 16. The insert 16 as best seen in FIG. 3,4 and 5, in one of its most simplest forms, would comprise only afibrous or filamentary substance 18, preferably preformed, for insertioninto a chamber cavity 20 preferably in any lateral side of theartificial booth 14. The fiber substance 18 is most convenient forhandling, when it is contained within a casing 22 and held therein inany suitable manner but preferably by a porous membrane 24, such as ascreen or the like. It is preferred that the casing 22 is of cylindricalshape and is formed of a noncorrosive material such as stainless steel,plastic, or the like. The fibrous substance 18 is shaped to firmlyengage the inner walls of the easing 22 when placed therein duringmanufacture of the insert 16. Suitable materials for forming the fibroussubstance are myriad and include: Sterilized cotton batting, paper,plastic and metal such as a stainless steel wool. The porous membrane orscreen 24 likewise is formed of any suitable material, such as plastic,stainless steel or a gold composition.

Manufacturing the insert 16 as one complete unit involves inserting thefibrous substance 18 into the casing 22, placing the screen 24 thereoverand rolling a lip edge 26, of the casing 22 over, as best seen in FIG.5, to thereby physically capture and integrally unite the assembledelements.

A cylindrically shaped insert 16 is convenient to handle and readilyinsertable into the opening 20 in the artificial tooth 14. It will beappreciated that the opening 20 need not be in a tooth, and that anydental appliance which is of appropriate size and configuration toaccommodate such an insert I6 or its equivalent is usable. The opening20 wherever located, is sized to accommodate the insert 16 in a nearlypress fit fashion. An optional locking arrangement to secure the insertI6 in the chamber 20 comprises a raised circumferentially extendingridge 28 molded or formed as a part of the cylindrical wall of thechamber 20, a selected distance from the chamber opening. Accordingly,the casing 22 has a receiving channel 30 cir cumferentially extendingaround the exterior of the cylindrical surface of the casing 22. Thechannel 30 comprises a reduced diameter portion extending inwardly fromthe outer surface of the cylindrical casing 22 and is spaced a distancefrom the lip edge 26 substantially equal to the distance the ridge 28 isfrom the chamber opening.

One convenience of the insert 16 lies in the fact that once itsusefulness is spent, i.e. the air refreshant contained therein isexpended, it can be discarded and replaced in a very simple operation.The insert 16 is easily snapped into the chamber under slight forceexerted by a finger. It is well appreciated that numerous structuralconfigurations are possible to facilitate extraction of the insert 16.The insert I6 itself can optionally include a moon-shaped disc 32 formedof stainless steel, plastic or like material having an aperture 34extending therethrough for engagement with any acceptable extractiontool in the shape of a hook (not shown). It will be appreciated that themoon-shaped disc 32 is inserted over the screen 24 before the edge lip26 is rolled over during the manufacturing process and it in turn iscaptured as best seen in FIG. 3. If the screen 24 mesh gauge is ofappropriate size, the screen itself can be engaged by an extraction tooland the moon disc 32 is not required. Equal convenience in extraction isaccomplished by incorporating preferably a concentrically located port36 in the tooth 14 extending from the bottom of the chamber 20 to thefar lateral surface of the tooth 14. It is easily appreciated that anyconvenient rodlike probe (not shown) may be inserted into the port 36 toengage the backside of the casing 22 and that slight force appliedthereto will pop the insert 16 out of the chamber 20. As a precautionarymeasure fir inadvertent insertion of the screened end of the insert 16into the chamber 20, a hole (not shown) punched in the backside of thecasing 22 can be engaged by a hooked extraction tool to pull the in sertfree.

As hereinbefore mentioned, the shape and size of the apparatus can bemyriad and is only limited by the dental appliance carrying theapparatus. In FIG. 6, there is illustrated a rectangular fibrous filler38. FIG. 7 illustrates the incorporation of the fibrous filler 38 in atooth 40. Retaining the filler 38 within the tooth 40 are screens 42coextensive with the ends of the filler 38 and disposed at the oppositelateral generally vertical sides of the tooth 40. The structuralarrangement illustrated permits, as in the case of the insert 16, thenormal body fluids to traverse inwardly and the air-refreshant fluidsabsorbed in the fibrous filler 38 to traverse outwardly and toaccomplish mixing of the saliva and of the fluids in the oral cavity.The screens 42 are affixed to the lateral surfaces of the tooth 40 byany suitable dental cement such as an acrylic mixture, a number of whichare well known in the field of dentistry.

FIG. 8 illustrates an alternate chamber 44 of cross-shape whichpotentially has greater capacity for absorbing airrefreshant liquids. Itwill be appreciated that the methods of retaining the filler in thecross-shaped chamber 44 illustrated in FIG. 8 are very similar to thosehereinabove disclosed for the embodiment illustrated in FIG. 7. Achamber having two screened surfaces offers the further advantage thatthe user is able to periodically more readily flush out or purge thechamber since liquid flow through is possible.

FIGS. 9 and 10 further illustrate alternate constructions and emphasizethe myriad locations for the apparatus. The cross' sectional view ofFIG. 10 illustrates a fibrous material 46 covered by a screen 48 whichare included as an integral part of a synthetic resin denture base 50 ofa set of dentures 52.

The chamber into which a removable insert is disposed or in which afibrous filler is permanently located can be formed into a new orexisting prosthodonic appliances. An existing appliance can be modifiedto include either an insert or a fixed permanent filter simply throughthe use of an appropriate dental drill to hollow out or form a chamberto accommodate the selected apparatus. If the apparatus is of thepermanent type, it is necessary to periodically, preferably on a dailybasis, replenish the air-refreshant liquid in the filler. The user wouldsimply remove the dental appliance, if possible, and drop or squirt intothe fibrous filler through the porous screen the airrefreshant liquiduntil the filler is saturated, in a manner as best seen in FIG. 11. Ifthe dental appliance is not removable, it will be appreciated that theuser can incline his head and/or gently part his lips to expose thescreen of the apparatus and to squirt or drop into the filler a suitableamount of air-refreshant fluid.

The embodiments illustrated in FIG. 1-11 have been for use in theartificial teeth of the denture, preferably the molars, or in thesynthetic resin denture base, where an appropriate thickness isavailable. It is well appreciated that any oral prosthetic appliance canbe made or modified to include an embodiment according to the principlesof the present invention. Included as some of the possible appliances orstructures in which the apparatus may be embodied are pontics,restorations including fillings, inlays, partial dentures, bridges,crowns, of suitable size, and for that matter as a coating over any ofthe devices mentioned or their kind. It should be reco nized that thefluids used need not be limited to the kind whic produce pleasant breathor mouth taste. It is quite possible that the device can be filled withother fluids or delayed action solids, particularly those used in themedical profession, and could include such liquids as cough syrups orthose having antiseptic properties.

Having thus described the invention by disclosing illustrative examplesof practical embodiments, I claim:

1. For use in a dental prosthesis disposed in an oral cavity, saidprosthesis being provided with a chamber having at least one openingextending to the outside; an aromatic-substancestoring device forinsertion within said chamber comprising:

a filler material disposed within and substantially filling said chamberand saturated with said aromatic substance; means disposed across saidopening of said chamber to retain said filler material within saidchamber;

said means being perforated to permit mixing of said aromatic substancewith the body fluid present in said oral cavity.

2. The device as defined in claim 1 in which said perforated meanspermits evaporation of said aromatic substance in said chamber to mixwith the air present in said oral cavity.

3. The device as defined in claim 1 in which said dental prosthesiscomprises an artificial gum portion having a least one false toothattached thereto, and said chamber being provided in said false tooth.

4. The device as defined in claim 1 in which said dental prothesiscomprises an artificial gum portion, said chamber being provided in saidartificial gum portion.

5. The device as defined in claim 1 said aromatic substance being afluid.

6. The device as defined in claim 1 said aromatic substance being asoluble solid.

7. The device as defined in claim 1 in which said perforated meanscomprises a fine mesh screen.

8. The device as defined in claim 1 and including a cylindrical insertcontaining said filler and means carried by said insert for retainingsaid insert in place.

9. The device as defined in claim 8 and in which said perforated memberis clamped to one end of said insert.

1. For use in a dental prosthesis disposed in an oral cavity, saidprosthesis being provided with a chamber having at least one openingextending to the outside; an aromatic-substance-storing device forinsertion within said chamber comprising: a filler material disposedwithin and substantially filling said chamber and saturated with saidaromatic substance; means disposed across said opening of said chamberto retain said filler material within said chamber; said means beingperforated to permit mixing of said aromatic substance with the bodyfluid present in said oral cavity.
 2. The device as defined in claim 1in which said perforated means permits evaporation of said aromaticsubstance in said chamber to mix with the air present in said oralcavity.
 3. The device as defined in claim 1 in which said dentalprosthesis comprises an artificial gum portion having a least one falsetooth attached thereto, and said chamber being provided in said falsetooth.
 4. The device as defined in claim 1 in which said dentalprothesis comprises an artificial gum portion, said chamber beingprovided in said artificial gum portion.
 5. The device as defined inclaim 1 said aromatic substance being a fluid.
 6. The device as definedin claim 1 said aromatic substance being a soluble solid.
 7. The deviceas defined in claim 1 in which said perforated means comprises a finemesh screen.
 8. The device as defined in claim 1 and including acylindrical insert containing said filler and means carried by saidinsert for retaining said insert in place.
 9. The device as defined inclaim 8 and in which said perforated member is clamped to one end ofsaid insert.